Tesla unveiled their long-awaited semi-truck on Thursday night. To announce the event, the founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, tweeted that it would “blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension.” And if the specs he announced become reality, the trucking industry actually could be in for a change.
Performance
Musk started the pitch talking about performance. After all, Tesla’s first product was a high-end sports car. For the semi, he touts what he called BAMF Performance. There are four electric motors, one on each rear wheel. With an unloaded trailer, the semi can go from 0 to 60mph in 5 seconds. Fully loaded at 80k lbs. gross vehicle weight, that number goes up to 60mph in 20 seconds.
The cab of the Tesla Semi also looks very different from your standard big rig. To start with, the first thing that jumps out at you is that the driver’s seat is in the middle of the cab. The driver is also situated very far forward in the cab because there’s no diesel engine taking up space.
Range
But the big question for commercial drivers is about range. Musk claims that the Tesla Semi will have a 500 mile range at max vehicle weight travelling at highway speeds. And claims that that’s the worst-case scenario.
To achieve that, Tesla designed the semi to reduce drag as much as possible.
Instead of side mirrors, the semi makes use of cameras, and even the door handles push in instead of out to minimize drag. Side flaps extend from the back of the tractor to fit around any trailer size.
While a 500-mile range is likely enough for some drivers, it won’t be sufficient for OTR drivers if it takes hours to recharge the batteries. But according to Musk, it will only take 30 minutes to recharge to 400 miles of range using a Tesla Supercharger. “By the time you are done with your break, the truck is ready to go. You will not be waiting for your truck to charge,” he said.
Currently Tesla has a little over 2,000 Supercharger stations in the country, so expecting a 30-minute recharge time everywhere you drive might not be reasonable just yet.
Safety
Musk also touted the safety features of the semi. All Tesla semis will come standard with Enhanced Autopilot which lets the truck drive itself on the highway using radar and cameras. The truck will automatically brake, stay in its lane, and will have a forward collision warning system.
Because of the heavy batteries, the truck will have a very low center of gravity, greatly reducing rollover risk. It also has a system that will automatically prevent jack-knifing using the engines on the rear wheels. According to Musk, “jack-knifing is impossible.”
Reliability
“We guarantee that the truck will not break down for a million miles,” said Musk.
With fewer parts than diesel trucks, there are fewer things to go wrong according to Musk. He claims that even “brake pads basically last forever” because when the truck brakes, it’s putting that energy straight back into the battery pack.
Even the windshield is made of what Musk calls “thermonuclear explosion-proof glass.” And while there was no proof offered for that, they did show a video of a trailer hitch slamming into the glass without cracking it.
Testing a tow hitch against standard truck glass vs. Tesla armor glass pic.twitter.com/UoDkBs6OUD
— Tesla (@Tesla) November 17, 2017
Price
Here, the details were a bit fuzzy. Not once in the presentation did Musk announce a price for the Tesla Semi. He did give a per-mile “fully-accounted for price” which he claims includes cost of maintenance, payments on the trucks, etc of $1.26/mile. He compared that to what he claims is the $1.51/mile cost of running diesel.
Using what he calls “convoy technology,” Musk says that the cost of operating the truck will drop to $.85/mile, and that using the technology that is currently available, moving freight this way would already be 10 times safer than a human driver.
Despite all of the claims however, there’s still a lot of information we don’t have. We know very little about the battery, don’t have hard figures on torque, didn’t hear anything about a sleeper berth, and we don’t even know the exact price or release date. And those are just a few of the big question marks.
Tesla is also notorious for falling behind on its production dates, so even though production is set to begin in 2019, it’s not certain that you’ll be able to do what Musk claims: “Order now, get the truck in 2 years.”
Source: truckinginfo, overdrive, tesla, wired, wired, gizmodo, twitter
Shane P says
I like the idea but if a brand new sleeper truck ranges from $130k-$160k depending on brand and how its equipped. Teslas range from $69.5k-$145k, the semi would be $400-$600k easily, that would price them out of market. Any company buying them are doing so just to say they have one. how long would it take to get your ROI?
Sam says
Model 3’s are only $35,000. FYI
Now if only they’d come out with a Minivan!! 😁
les_gvt says
admit Teslas are sharp looking cars- I would gladly drive one with a V8
Juan Valdez says
1 million mile guarantee against breakdown? He’s a snake oil salesman
Donald Mickunas says
I agree. It is one thing to make claims and a whole different thing to substantiate them. No mention of road trials in the article suggests that these figures are all estimates.
les_gvt says
they drove it around the parking lot 2million times and it never broke down once on them
John says
Lmao 1 million miles huh? Has this guy ever driven anything with over 200k???? Give me a money back guarantee I can run 1,000,000 miles in New York and I’ll buy one. Lmao this fuckin guy. Those supercharger stations are at uhhh gas stations…. not truck stops, soooo we’re gonna sit there for a half hour and block up probably half a lane of traffic and charge it up?
Who’s your dealer? I need a hookup…
Idiot
Wonderkins says
I wonder if that mileage is empty or 80k +…
Wonderkins says
Just saw somewhere else that the distance is with 80k. Not sure how they could reach that when the sedan I believe can’t even hit 300 miles.
jason says
its a truck, not a car. aka more room for more batteries. how big is a gas engine in a honda civic compared to the diesel engine in a semi? duh. >_>
Chris says
Garbage n overhyped all these companies are doing is lying to make $$$$ lol “WONT” break down for 1 million miles LOL sure….
Charles B Good says
Let’s first see how it might work in buses. Also what will the range be in western mountains?
Robert Allard says
It is unreal with today’s regulations and no drivers come on it will never happen yes they are showing a big dream and a lot of government wasting our tax money towards a technology that will fade away sooner or later.
Like to see that in winter roads ah ah ah human have hard time wit icy roads how about your friendly AUTO DRIVER????
It is a joke.
Jeremy M says
500 mile range? That’s going to slam the brakes on team operations.30 minutes to recharge? A trucker gets on the fuel island and pumps several hundred gallons of diesel in a matter of 5 minutes.Line ups accumulate in the staging area’s of these large fuel islands,as well.
“Over the road”diesel powered big trucks have a range of 1200-1500 miles,depending on fuel tank capacity,before they run dry.Reducing the range of the truck and increasing the frequency of “refueling” will result in more trucks having to “fuel” more often and overwhelming the capacity of the facilities,themselves. Is every parking spot in the truck stop going to have a “plug in” socket? Who is going to pay for all that new infrastructure? Are more truck stops going to be built to accommodate the increased demand for “recharge”? This isn’t going to work.Big dreams but zero practicality.
Anthonyrod says
1. Tell me the cost of the truck.2. Cost for maintence . Anything mechanical will always breakdown due to wear and usage.3 the cost of those parts such as the motors,batteries and electrical components .I guarantee those parts you’ll have to buy from tesla due to them having the patent, and they won’t be cheap.4 repair will be a issue since you need tesla technicians to repair your truck since there trained on the design of those trucks that’s including the program for the computer on board.5 what’s the warranty on this truck and does it include parts and labor ,and for how long .
Robert Maberry says
Much more space for batteries
les_gvt says
sinking the Titanic was impossible too- how did that turn out?
les_gvt says
Not near as much worried about the cost as I am how much Tesla expects taxpayers to foot the bill per unit sold.
His 4 electric motors are similar to a concept already announced that is basically a diesel/electric train engine adapted for the highway. Too me, that sounds much more practical because you basically have a big APU generating electricity constantly. While still using diesel, it would consume roughly 90% less.
les_gvt says
no mirrors- only cameras? we know there are never any electrical shorts in a vehicle. Also – how water proof are these battery compartments? This may be fine for OTR situations, but has it been designed to handle the shippers/receivers that have 12inch potholes, concrete sticking out of the ground? oilfield type work?
les_gvt says
these “side flaps” designed to wrap around the trailer- what is the maximum angle you can jack knife during maneuvering? will it be the same as current trucks? or will it limit how sharp you can turn?
and lastly- what is the wheelbase? with no engine, is it going to be shorter- which- while great in tight spots, also can mean a rougher ride down the road.
last one- the engine gives weight to help steers maintain grip on road- is this going to be like Clark Griswald and the headlights spend more time reflecting clouds than the deer in the road? I have driven a cab over some- hated it
Dave says
Pretty sure the side flaps are motorized and tuck out of the way at manoeuvring speeds. They’d only be useful on the highway.
M says
Those battery banks will be just as heavy as an engine and closer to the bottom to give more stability than the engine currently does
les_gvt says
understand about stability- but engine weight is what holds the front end on the ground as you bounce along. will there be enough weight so you don’t look like Clark Griswald?
Jay says
We have incredible and beautiful trucks right now because they were created and designed by people in the industry,they bled ,sweated and cried trucking,they lived the life…then all went to hell once the government got involved.
My point is,this gentleman Elon Musk (How can you take some one seriously with a name like that?) Has no skin in the game,what a hell does he know about the trucking life? I am not discounting the concept,but this truck may be MAY BE perfectly suited for UPS or FEDEX go 150 miles and comeback…hopefully the truck won t find adverse weather conditions with road closures and the need to run heater and such…It is a good concept,but we in the OTR segment are nowhere ready for it, and the truck is not ready for OTR.
Will says
This is a fantasy manufacturers have been showcasing low drag, high mpg since the 90s none have ever come to market. This is a hodgpog of ideas that promise everything but have never delivered. He is just promises everything in the hope he might get someone to send him money for developing it.
zee says
Check the Nikola truck out. Same great claims on Hydrogen electrics.
Minneapolis Mn driver says
Elon musk needs to show current “lifer” truck drivers how the recharging brake system works. Im surprised he announced this 500mile truck , I can remember an article on truckers report about a shorter range truck maybe a couple months ago. I wonder how big these super chargers are.
M says
The recharging pads on the brakes is an old idea it’s been around for a while and is very efficient. The superchargers are the charging stations and I can imagine they can build those Danny size I’ll just put them right there in the parking lot miles at the truck stops. Elon Musk might not be a lifetime truck driver but he’s probably one of the smartest man alive and he is the Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla of today.
les_gvt says
being smart is not the same as experience. Socialism looks great on Paper.the Reality of Venezuela and Zimbabwe say different
Geraldine Mann says
Well it was just on news wal mart ordered 15 of them and some food chain stores ordered 15 each. No mention of which but walmart they did mention. SMDH I just don’t see this lasting. Just like the comment above. The Titanic was unsinkable but we all know how that went
Rany says
I wonder how much of that 80k is battery weight. I wonder when the first batteries will blow up or catch fire like any batteries on toys, phones, vape chargers. How many drvs will not get out of there sleepers when these batteries go. Oh and whats the mileage when you gotta cross a mtn range.
Anthony Suarez says
I am curious how this tractor will perform in the real world. Time will tell.
OLD GUY says
At least while you’re taking a rest stop you still get to run the AC without a noisy diesel running . Heater too I assume . Also if it’s on autopilot and your drunk and you get stopped at a road check point by the police are you technically not drunk driving if it’s on autopilot and you are not actually driving but just a passenger along for the ride ? 😂
les_gvt says
LOL- i want to meet the officer that buys that one
JD says
So many questions and no answers. Not impressed. Like many companies, go into design with blinders on, focusing on one fuel system. There is a diesel engine called “MYT Engine” that is 14″ square, weighs 150 pounds and 850hp with only five moving parts. From the information given, it should get 180+mpg. Anyway, using a combination of fossil fuel, Piezoelectric, Solar, Hydro, Magnetics and more would skyrocket fuel economy and reduce the carbon footprint. The carbon footprint, has any thought that the planet is finite. The elements are always there, just concentrated in areas with less airflow.